Disconnect switch



H. F. B-URMEISTER DISCONNECT SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21,1949 32 JNVENTOR. ,/Howard Furmekr' Dec. 8, 1953 H. F. BURMEISTERDISCONNECT SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2l, 1949 INVENTOR. HowardFurmellse Patented Dec. 8, 1953 DISCONNECT SWITCH Howard F. Burmeister,Harvey, Ill., assignor to Royal Electric Manufacturing Co., Chicago,Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application September 21, 1949, SerialNo. 117,018

6 Claims. (Cl. 20G- 82) This invention relates primarily to disconnectswitches, particularly of the high voltage type.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a verticalbreai; disconnect switch of the type wherein the movable switch memberis mounted on a stationary insulator and wherein the actuation oi themovable switch member is obtained pneumatically or hydraulically by apneumatic mechanism at the potential of the movable switch member, sothat no i' der, is mounted on the structure that supports the switchblade, the pneumatic mechanism being at the potential oi the switchblade. Fluid under pressure is transmitted to the cylinder for actuatingthe same by way of one or two tubes that extend thereto. These tubesincluder in a stationary portion thereof, an insulated section therebyinsulating the pneumatic mechanism from the operator. This section, inthe preferred construction, is the sole insulator that supports theswitch blade.

High voltage ceramic insulators which are of considerable size have beenmade hollow. Such hollow ceramic insulators have been provided with endcaps at opposite endsv thereof, the end caps being drawn firmly towardsthe insulator by a tensioning member of insulation within the hollowbody of the ceramic insulator, the remaining interior of the insulatorbeing then filled with an insulating oil to assure exclusion of all airand moisture. Such an insulator is shown in the patent to Arthur O.Austin, No. 2,175,335, of October 10, 1939. It is one of the objects ofthe present invention to utilize such an insulator to support a switchblade of a disconnect switch and t0 utilize the hollow space within theinsulator for transmitting fluid under pressure to a pneumatic mechanismat the high voltage end of the insulator, namely, at the end of theinsulator that carries the switch blade. The pneumatic mechanismmechanically oper'- ates the switch blade.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the end capsof a hollow insulator of the above mentioned character with one or morenipples, corresponding nipples of the two end caps being connected by atube or" insulation that extends from one end cap to the other throughthe hollow insulator. Each of these in sulating tubes is surrounded bythe insulating oil or other compound within the insulator and in turnalso carries an insulating fluid. As a result, oil or other insulatingfluid may be transmitted through the tube or tubes for perorrningnecessary mechanical operations, as, for instance, operating a switch.The hydraulic coritrol system of which the tubes are a are entirelyseparate from the liquid insulation within the hollow ceramic insulator.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hollowinsulator with means for transmitting actuating force to actuate theelectrical apparatus and wherein the same insulator that supports theapparatus also provides insulation in the hydraulic circuit to thecontrol apparatus.

The attainment of the above and further objects o the present inventionwill be apparent from. the following specification taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings fon ing a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l; is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of ahigh voltage disconnecting switch embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken along the line 2`-2 of Figure 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a small scale drawing showing the switch part of which isshown in Figure 1; and

Figure 4. is a diagrammatic view showing one manner of hydraulicallyinterconnecting the switches of a three phase system for simultaneousoperation.

Reference may now be had more particularly tor the drawings wherein likereference numerals designate like parts throughout.

A general description will first be given of the switch of Figure 3.This switch an outdoor type, vertical break disconnect switch. Thisswitch, indicated in. general by the reference numeral. l, includes amounting E of chan nel iron or the like, of a conventional construe--tion onv which are mounted two stationary insulators, indicated at 3 andd. The stationary insulating structure 3 supports a contact struc ture 5that is adapted to be engaged by a switch blade 6 that is pivoted at toa bracket t mount" ed on the insulator 4. The contact structure tmounted on top of the insulator 3 may be of any preferred construction,the one illustrated being accuse anism consists or a piston and cylinderarrangement, it is understood that the piston and cylinder arrangementmay in each case be replaced by a hydraulic diaphragm mechanism or by ahydraulic expansion bellows so that the oil pressure system foroperating the switch in one direction is completely sealed from the oilpressure system for operating the switch in the opposite direction,without the possibility of leakage from one to the other, such as mayoccur past the piston or past the pistons in the mechanism 15.

In the hydraulic system herein shown there is a complete separation ofthe oil to be used for operating the switch from the body of oil withinthe bore of the insulator 20. Where a. complete separation is notnecessary then one or the other or" the two tubes 3-5-36 may be entirelyomitted. Ii, i r instance, the tube 35 is omitted then the bore isulator2e acts as a connection from the nipple 2d to the nipple 3l. If the tube3B is omitted the-n the bore or the insulator acts as an oil connectionbetween the nipple 29 and the nipple 32 so that in either event the oilfor operating the switch in one direction is transmitted bodily throughthe bore in the insulator 20.

I have herein shown the present invention as applied to operate avertically operating switch blade of a disconnecting switch. Since theinvention is particularly concerned with the operating mechanism, I haveherein omitted some of the usual disconnecting switch structures. Forinstance, switch blades are generally provided with counterbalancingsprings for assisting in the '-ch opening operation and for holding theswitch in the switch open position. This may be applied to the switchblade of the present invention in any conventional manner, as, forinstance, as shown in the patent to Dunlap, No. 2,305,117, abovereferred to.

In some instances the double acting piston in the cylinder 52 may bereplaced by a single acting piston wherein pneumatic pressure is appliedfor moving the switch in one direction, say, in the switch closingdirection, and a spring is provided for moving the switch in the switchopening direction. This may be the usual blade counterbalancing springshown in the above mentioned Dunlap patent, which spring is then madestiffer so that the spring itself is capable of moving the switch fromthe switch closed position to the switch open position, the pneumaticpressure being relied upon to move the switch to its closed position andhold it in that position. When that is the case only one pneumatic lineneed be extended from the operating mechanism 15 to the pneumaticmechanism 52. That line can extend via a tube through the insulator 2u,as above mentioned, or the tube within the insulator 20 may be entirelyomitted so that the bore of the insulator 2l! itself constitutes a partof the oil conduit to the pneumatic mechanism.

In each embodiment above described the insulator 2c constitutes the solesupport for the switch blade and also affords a passageway for the oilused for actuating the pneumatic mechanism at the top of the insulator.By this arrangement the switch actuating means 'i5 which is at groundpotential may be placed at any convenient location.

in a three phase system where three disconnect switches of the typeshown in Figure l are provided, they may be arranged for simultaneous0peration, the pneumatic circuit at the grounded ends of the switchesbeing a series circuit, as illustrated in Figure e. In Figure 4 there isshown at 6 A, B and C, in diagrammatic form, a portion of each of thethree disconnecting switches each one of which may be physically of thesame construction as is illustrated in Figure 3. The blade supportinginsulator of each switch is indicated by the reference numeral il, thatinsulator being of the same construction as illustrated in Figures l, 2and 3. The pneumatic mechanisms that are mounted on the respectiveinsulators Il are indicated at 52a, 52h and 52o, being in each caseconnected to operate the respective switch blades 6. Each pneumaticmechanism includes a cylinder 53, a double acting piston and aconnecting rod 5l ior operating the switch blade E in the mannerpreviously described. In order that the Volume of liquid displaced oneach side of the piston may be the saine for a given distance ofmovement of the piston the piston 56 is in each case provided with afalse piston rod 5l of the same diameter as the piston rod 5I, whichfalse piston rod slides through suitable packing in the end of thecylinder, A suitable seal is provided for sealing against the escape ofany oil from the cylinder at the place where the false rod 5l' eX- tendstherethrough. The nipples 3I-i of the three insulators are connected inseries by oil tubes 85 and 85 and the series circuit is connected to theoil lines lid-ld that extend to the manual or motor operating mechanism10, as previously described, From this description it is' apparent thattransmission of the oil under pressure to the line 'i8' to operate theswitches will force oil to the left hand side of the piston Sli of the Aphase switch to move that piston, and the movement of that piston willforce oil from that portion of the cylinder iic which is to the right ofthe piston 5E, thence through the tube St, tube 36 ol the A phaseinsulator 1i, thence through the tube iid to the B phase insulator foractuating the pneumatic mechanism 52h. This in turn transmits operatinghuid in the same manner to the C phase pneumatic mechanism 52e. Bymaking a positive provision against leakage in the oil system and byusing tubes and connections which are of constant volume and will notexpand under pressure it is thus possible to operate all three switchessimultaneously.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have hereshown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is,however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to theprecise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative ofthe principles of the invention. What I consider new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A two insulator outdoor type disconnect switch comprising astationary hollow insulator, a Contact making member supported thereby,a double acting hydraulic mechanism also supf. p-orted thereby, meansconnecting the mechanism with the contact making member for operatingthe contact making member, separate hose means providing separate fluidpassageways extending to opposite sides of the mechanism for supplyingliquid to the mechanism for actuating it, each of said hose meansextending through the hollow supporting insulator, a filling of liquidinsulation within the insulator and through which insulation the hosemeans ex-n tends but is sealed therefrom, end caps for said insulatorsealing said filling of liquid insulation from the atmosphere, saidiluid passageways extending through the sealing end caps, a secondinsulator spaced from the rst insulator, means for supporting the secondinsulator independentaceaisc` ly of and apart from the first insulator,and a` contact member supported by the second insulator and adapted tobe engaged by the contact making member in its switch closed position.

2. In combination, a number of similar high voltage switches each switchcomprising a holler;r insulator, a switch contact making member on saidinsulator and movable from the switch open position to the switch closedposition, means for actuating the member including a hydraulic motormechanism on said insulator, a pair of hydraulic lines extending to themotor mechanism for supplying it with liquid under pressure to operateit in alternate directions, said lines ex-` tending through theinsulator from the high voltage side thereof to the low voltage sidethereof; the lines of the respective switches on the low voltage sidethereof being connected in a closed series fluid circuit, and means forapplying pressure to cause flow of fluid in the uid circuit selectivelyin one direction or the other to cause simultaneous operation of thehydraulic motors of the respective switches.

3. in combination, a number of similar high voltage switches each switchcomprising a hollow insulator, a switch contact making member on saidinsulator and movable from the switch open position to the switch closedposition, means for actuating the member including a hydraulic motormechanism on said insulator, a pair of hydraulic lines extending to themotor mechanism for supplying it with liquid under pressure to operateit in alternate directions, said lines extending through the insulatorfrom the high voltage side thereof to the low voltage side thereof; thelines of the respective switches on the low voltage side thereof beingconnected in a series iiuid circuit, and means for supplying liquidunder pressure to the circuit to cause simultaneous operation of thehydraulic motors of the respective switches, said last named meansincluding means for selectively controlling the direction of ow of fluidin said fluid circuit.

4. In a polyphase switching system a plurality of disconnect switchesfor the respective phases each including a hydraulic operating mechanismat the high potential side of the switch, liquid operating circuits forthe respective mechanisms, and means connecting the liquid operatingcircuits of the respective switches in series.

5. ln a polyphase switching system a plurality of disconnect switchesfor the respective phases each including a hydraulic operating mechanismat the high potential side of the switch and a hollow insulatorsupporting the mechanism, liquid operating circuits for the respectivemechanisms, the liquid circuit for each mechanism extending through theinsulator of its switch, and means connecting the liquid operatingcircuits of the respective switches in series.

6. An insulator comprising a hollow column of insulation, end capsclosing the ends of the column, a switch blade, means on one end cappivotally mounting the switch blade for swinging movement from switchopen position to switch closed position, hydraulic mechanism forswinging said blade, a filling of liquid insulation within the columnand closed orf from the outside atmosphere by the caps, and a pair ofinsulating tubes extending within the column from one end cap to theother, the two end caps having outlets for the tubes for establishingliquid passageways through the tubes but sealed from the nlling ciinsulation within which the tubes are immersed and a fluid flowconnection between said tubes and said hydraulic mechanism.

HOWARD F. BURMEISTER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSiisui'nber Name Date 2,175,336 Austin Oct. 10, 1939 2,239,554 DuilingApr. 22, 1941 2,250,216 Biermans July 22, 1941 2,351,903 Baker et alJune 20, 1944

